Last Updated 6:12 am PDT Monday, April 16, 2007Story appeared in Business section, Page D1

Back on her feet: Local PR folks know that Kassy Perry is a horsewoman. And they know she had a rough tumble off one of her mounts 18 months ago. But they didn’t learn until recently just how bad that spill actually was.

The news was revealed this month when Perry – head of Perry Communications Group – was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the Sacramento Public Relations Association.

In presenting the award, newsie-turned-pitchman Stan Atkinson disclosed that Perry smashed a vertebra in the accident and was told she would never walk – let alone ride – again.

She managed to do both – showing the pluck she’s used to turn her agency into a $2.6 million business in just over a decade.

Perry, 46, tells us the fall and rehab that followed actually yielded some benefits. Before her accident, Perry says she felt compelled to have a hand in every detail at work. “I learned, because I had to, to delegate,” she says.

Like others with harrowing experiences, she’s gained other perspectives, too.

“I live my life more fully,” she says. “I appreciate everything so much more.”